


Zing and Miss

by MISSYriver



Category: Pitch - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Implied Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 09:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13633500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MISSYriver/pseuds/MISSYriver
Summary: Ginny was moments away from her first starting game for the San Diego Padres, nothing would stop her now, not even her soulmate.





	Zing and Miss

**Author's Note:**

> My Pitch gift is for @annciabvl.tumblr.com, I miss these characters so much. Thank you for reminding me what I feel in love with.

 

Ginny Baker was moments away from realizing her lifelong goal of playing professional baseball in the majors. She had worked tirelessly all her life, her Pop pushing her, keeping her focused on the next challenge. He never praised her championship wins or trophies, only told her ‘we ain't done nothin’ yet’. Bill Baker would never see her play her first game as San Diego Padre but his spirit still drove her every step.

Ginny kept her hat low and her head down, music pulsing in her ears drowning out the crowds, people cheering or booing her for defiling the sanctity of baseball. She had heard it her whole life but nothing was stopping her now. Including the ridiculous notion of a soul mate.

She never made direct eye contact with people unless she knew they were already matched. Ginny would be happy if she never shared a soulgaze. She understood the process according to the stories, she’d make eye contact with someone and know them instantly. She would see flashes of their life, from their past and present. And if that wasn’t bad enough, she’d see what their life could be, together. It’s commonly called the _Zing_ , that first moment of connection with your soulmate. The rush. The feeling of excitement, the tingles, that come with learning about the past, present, and your future with your soulmate. It was a distraction she couldn't afford.

Ginny had mastered the skill of avoiding people trying to catch her eye, from teammates, fans, and people on the street. Her relationship status and potential zing matches were discussed on Twitter, ESPN, and every story ever written about her. It was talked about more than her curveball. Now that she was the first women in the majors the coverage would only get worse.

Some days she wanted to just get the damn thing over with.

Meeting your match isn’t a guaranteed happy ending. Many people found happiness and love with different people even after the _Zing_. Even the rare platonic soulmate bond existed, which was what Ginny hoped for. When Ginny was younger she longed for the romantic notion of love, a soul searing passion between two people. She grew out of that fantasy not long after Ginny witnessed her mother cheating on her Pop with a neighbor, even though her parents had shared the soulgaze. She had been fifteen. From that moment on her life revolved around the baseball diamond.  

Now at twenty-three, she was walking into the Petco Park locker room as a starting pitcher.

She skimmed the faces of her new teammates, missing the face she been looking for, Mike Lawson. Ginny had followed his career from the beginning and still had his rookie card. She  looked forward to working with him.

The voice of Blip Sanders interrupted her train of thought. He was her teammate three years ago back in Texas. Blip and his soulmate Evelyn were the closest thing she had to a family even closer than her own mother and brother. She rushed to her friend and threw her arms around him laughing.  

After Blip moved up to the majors she had minimal contact with the Sanders and Ginny looked forward to reconnecting with family. The last time they were together had been the night she met Trevor Davis. Evelyn had talked Ginny into making eye contact with him and even without the _Zing,_ Ginny lfelt the instant attraction.

She took a chance and broke her rules.

It had almost ruined her chances and reputation. Trevor had lied, told her he was done with baseball. She put her heart on the line and showed up for his game only to find out he was going to be a Cardinal. He wanted her to stay with him, turn her into one of the WAGs instead of a ballplayer. He proved to her that he didn't understand or care what she wanted. The fallout of the relationship had taken months of propositions from her teammates trying to force eye contact.

Ginny was better alone. She didn't need a man in her life telling her what to do.

Putting on the Padres number forty-three settled her racing mind. She shut her eyes taking a deep breath before she slid her hat down on her head. She slipped on her jacket and headed out toward the field.

Time to meet the team.

She stepped out of the dugout her eyes drawn to Mike Lawson. He was laughing and talking to a few of the other players. He was bigger, taller, his shoulder broader, in person then Ginny thought. The beard made him unlike the poster version she had above her bed. She couldn't shut out the tiny voice in her head that wondered if the beard was soft to the touch.

Lawson noticed her and walked toward her. Ginny’s heart started to race. She lifted her leg to stretch and pretend she hadn’t been staring at him. Ginny wondered if he was mated, if it was safe to look him in the eyes. She wanted him to see her as an equal, another teammate.

“Look what we got here, Ginny Baker in the flesh.” He moved in front of her. “I’ve been answering questions about you forever. And that is not easy talking about other people. They tell me I’m a Narcissist.” He leaned in and whispered.

Ginny smiled her eyes level with his nose. She was nervous and told herself to calm down.

“I should tell you, I have your rookie card. You’ve been my favorite player since-”

Mike cut her off, “Yeah don’t. Makes you look stupid, makes me feel old.”

Ginny smile fell and her head snapped up, she should have known that he was another asshole. Brown eyes met hazel and time stopped, everything else fell away. Her skin flushed and her heart rate accelerated. Ginny gasped as an electric bolt struck her heart.

The first thing she saw was a baseball field, a young boy being lead by his mother. She had a surreal sensation of watching the scene before her mind and still feel the emotions running through the younger version of Mike. Ginny could feel the boy's hesitation and a longing to go back to his dark room and video games. She heard muffled voices as if they were far away only able to catch a phrase or word. The coach, David was reluctant but agreed to let him play. Young Mike showed a natural talent for the game and with the coach's guidance, he found his place behind home plate.

_Mike knew his role but he hated to lie to the coach, the only person in his life to ever take a real interest in him. But his mom told him it was for the best. They needed the money. Mike watched on as his mom and coach argued, he had found out about the money. He didn’t want to move anymore, he wanted to stay here and play baseball. He begged the coach to take him with him. Coach Dave told him he couldn’t take him. Mike watched from the back seat of his mom’s car as they pulled away. Sadness engulfed him, fear of where they would go next. If he would ever feel that level of belonging again._

_His mom parting words and the realization that the man who he thought was only his coach, was actually his father, made everything ten times worse. Coach had known, or at least suspected, but he still refused to take Mike with him. He blamed his mom, for a while he blamed the world and then he started to believe something was wrong with him._

Ginny heart ached for the thrown away childhood of her soulmate, she wanted to reach out and hold him. Tell him she would never leave him, that he would always belong to her.

_Coach Dave’s final words about his mom; ‘Even if she's not going to be the adult, you can be. You don't have to do what she says. You're strong, you make the right choice’, changed the dynamics between his mom and him. He refused to participate in her scams and made her promise not to interfere with baseball season. The constant moving from town to town didn’t stop but she did keep it to the offseason._

Ginny saw flashes of games, championships, Mike being drafted. She watched his life, like her’s it revolved around the baseball diamond. His family was the team, and his coaches were his parents.

Blurry images of women crossed her mind, details were only on the place never the partner. Ginny forgot them as quickly as Mike had, until a crystal clear image of red hair and green eyes from across a crowded room. Ginny watched on, her heart threatened to break as she watched her soulmate fall in love with another women. He had remembered every detail, and Ginny was forced to watch their wedding and honeymoon. After a few years together the long distance and baseball lifestyle created strain between the couple. Phone calls were missed or forgotten, fighting turned into long silences, into indifference.

_Ginny felt  his world tilt, her hands trembled with him as she watched Mike enter his home and find his wife with another man. Rachel cried, she blamed him, told him she couldn’t be alone anymore. Mike didn’t yell, he clenched his fist and walked out. Rachel screamed he’d never find his soulmate since his soul belonged to baseball._

Mike sank deep into self loathing, he hid his pain with women and impulsive behavior. He never was with a woman more than one night, he never spent the night. Ginny’s eyes watered as the images flashed by. The stream of women meant nothing to Mike and Ginny felt only sadness for the man who thought he lost everything, and pity for the women he sank into.

Ginny watched on as their connection deepened into the possible future.

_Colors intensified as the image in her mind changed to her standing on the pitching mound, Ginny stood tall, her eyes locked with Mike’s. She shook her head felt his annoyance turn to pride as she threw a perfect screwgie into his glove. Crowds erupted, Mike only had eyes for her until Blip picked her up and broke the moment. Ginny couldn’t tell where they were but it felt huge._

She watched them workout together, train, play and bicker. He opened up a door Ginny had no idea existed inside her. He was her teammate and he rapidly became her best friend. They laughed almost as much as they argued. The one thing she didn’t see was them kiss. She had found a platonic match but it left a hole in her chest even while watching images play out. Ginny wondered if the longing she felt was from her or him.

_The impossible image of Mike being traded sent a shock wave through the clubhouse and Ginny. He packed his cubby alone and refused offers of drinks with the team. She watched as her future self dropped everything to meet him the night before he was supposed to leave._

Ginny felt her conciseness become in sync with her other self. Somehow she felt the nervous tingle along her spine, her heartbeat to fast.

_He told her he would miss her, she admitted the same. But held back her true feelings. Her feeling couldn’t stop him, it was the life of a baseball player. She hesitated to acknowledge who they were to each other. The night was ending too fast. Her chance was slipping through her fingers. Mike called her name, he seemed unsure. He wrapped her in a hug and everything changed. Ginny couldn't catch her breath and her heart was beating through her chest. Mike brushed her nose with his, his forehead pressed to her’s. She felt his warm breath on her lips, Ginny licked her lips in anticipation. Liquid warmth spread through her body as Mike closed the gap between them and sealed their souls with a first kiss._

Ginny almost groaned out loud as the mental images changed from the first kiss on a dark street to a strange house made of glass.

_She felt warmth behind her before she felt Mike’s arms wrap around her waist. His mouth trailed kisses down her neck, the soft beard tickled her flesh. Ginny leaned into his broad chest, letting his strong arms hold her up. He stepped her forward until her chest was pressed into the cold glass and his hot body was behind her. Mike slipped a hand under her shirt and his thumb brushed over her hard nipples. Ginny arched her back, her ass pressed into the bulge of his pants._

She never understood the concept of the soulgaze, the idea of seeing, feeling and experiencing something that hasn't happened yet. Ginny understood now, as she stood in front of Mike Lawson and watched a future version of them give into their desire for each other. Her face flushed and she saw Mike’s ear turn red. Did he see the same images? Was he seeing the same flashes of images? Her laid out naked on his bed, under the shower together, or the night in the pool.

Ginny knees almost buckled when the connection severed. The last picture of Mike’s hand on her swollen belly while a little girl with her curls and his eyes danced around their feet was left imprinted on her heart. Being a mother was never her plan, neither was a soulmate and yet faced with both possibilities filled her with a new sense of hope.

Mike blinked his eyes rapidly, clearing away unshed tears. His mouth was open and a soft curse slipped past his lips. Ginny stepped back from the emotional connection which still strung them together and caused a ripple of goosebumps along her skin. Mike stepped toward her, his hand extended toward her. Ginny’s eyes widened, she looked around and noticed their surroundings.

They were on the field in front of the whole team. Ginny was grateful to see that no one was watching them. According to Evelyn, the soulgaze lasted seconds for everyone outside the zing. A lifetime filled in by mere seconds. It was up to Mike and her to make the future possibilities a reality.

GInny wondered, “what the hell they were going to do now. Do they make an announcement hours before her first start? Would she be forever known as Mike Lawson’s soulmate?” Question after question filled her head while her lungs burned and her fingers tingle.

“Breath Rookie, you’re having a panic attack. Open your eyes and look at me, it always helps me feel better.”

Ginny opened her eyes, the smile fought off the panic and Mike’s eyes anchored her to the moment.

“We don’t need to talk about this now, but we will talk, later. Right now, we should go over the hitters in the training room and get ready for the game.” Mike reassured her.

Ginny nodded as Mike walked passed her. His hand landed a swift slap to her ass and she spun on him.

“Hey! Think that’s funny? Think you are the first teammate to slap my ass to get a laugh from his friends?”

“No..” Mike started.

“I played two years Winterball, five years in the minors. I’ve done stints in hellholes you haven’t seen in a decade, Superstar. I don’t care if you are my soulmate, you want to put on a show for your friends? Find another scene partner, I’m here to pitch.”

Ginny started to walk away until Mike called her back.

“Hey! I slap asses. It’s my thing. I slap Zimerman’s pimply ass, I slap Roger’s hairy ass, and as long as you’re on this team, I will be slapping your perfect pear-shaped ass. I am an ass-slapper, Rookie. I’m also Captain of this team. So from here on out, every time I slap your ass, you just say thank you, sir, may I have another and take the mound soulmate or not. Do you have any questions?”

Ginny smirked, “What about off the field, my Captain?”

She brushed past him and she returned the slap to his firm ass. She heard his chuckle behind her and his soft words.

“This is going to be fun.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I love soulmate stories and am exploring the possibility of a muti-fandom Soulgaze/Zing collection, let me known if you'd be interested in more of these stories. I already have an Olicity versions.


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